Things not to say to a Law Student

Law students are not a particularly sensitive bunch. Sure, we have existential crises at the start of each semester, but beyond that we are pretty tough. However, there are some things which law students, lecturers, and everyday people say that just cannot continue to be said...

Hey great, you can defend me when I murder (insert name here)! Haha!

Before I started my degree, I had no idea how many of my close friends and associates were aspiring career criminals! I mean, they don't even want to know what kind of law I study or even if I'm any good at it. Apparently, they are so desperate to break the law that they will rely upon the advice of the first lawyer they meet who might give them mates rates!

Am I still a person of good fame and character if I am surrounded by the future faces of crime? On a serious note: stop saying this!

So I have this friend...

Then there are the people who honestly want your legal advice. I say this to you; is your problem really going to be resolved by consulting a law student?

I'm giving the assignment an extension until next week

Nooooo! That's not going to help at all! I don't know why lecturers continue to do this and then act like they're doing us a favour. They know that the majority of the work gets done in the last three days before the due date, so absolutely nothing is achieved by extending the date.

Instead, we now have a week of extra stress, and that time is often borrowed from another assignment which is due the week after. Just give us the due date and, if we really need the extra time, we will give you a doctor's note.

Wow, you must be so smart!

It would be pretty harsh to complain about a compliment like that, but I'm going to anyway. What do you even say to that? Not that it's not a nice thing to say, but when you meet a fashion student do you tell them that they must have great taste? Or tell a police officer that they must have a real sense of civic duty? There might be a grain of truth in it, but it's weird to hear someone say it.

By the way, if anyone has figured out how to respond to this, please post a comment – I still have no idea.

Enjoyed this post? Sign up for the Survive Law weekly newsletter for more.

#procrastination #thingsnottosay